The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Aberfeldy actor Alan Cumming honoured at the Scottish Baftas
AWARDS: X Men star scoops special gong at glitzy Glasgow ceremony
Perthshire actor Alan Cumming has been honoured at the Scottish Baftas.
The X Men star, who is from Aberfeldy, was presented with the Outstanding Contribution To Film And Television award by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at last night’s glitzy ceremony in Glasgow.
The 53-year-old, who has appeared on Frasier and Sex And The City among others, this year won widespread acclaim for his role of Dylan Reinhart, America’s first openly gay lead character, in police procedure drama Instinct. He said: “I couldn’t be happier or more proud to receive this special Bafta award.
“I shot my first ever film in Glasgow and my first few years in the business were nearly all spent in the employ of Scottish television, so my roots in acting for the screen are very entrenched in Scotland. And of course, my heart is here too.”
Other local winners included Simon Meek, V&A Dundee’s first designer in residence. His firm, the Secret Experiment, won the Best Game title for surreal noir adventure Beckett.
He said: “Two years ago, we set out on a journey to try and challenge preconceptions in the industry, subvert the game genre and create a narrative experience that we thought could sit alongside literature, theatre and independent world cinema.
“Well now, Beckett is hanging in the V&A in Dundee and we’ve got a Scottish Bafta. It’s just amazing.”
The ceremony was held in the Radisson Blu Hotel.
Daytime show Armchair Detectives scooped the best entertainment gong. Accepting the award, host Susan Calman made a plea for more women in the industry.
“To me, the answer about women in television is quite simple: Please hire more of us,” she said.
“Let us fail in the same way you let men fail continually. And please champion our successes more than you currently do...”
Other big winners were production designer Pat Campbell, who received the award for Outstanding Contribution to Craft, Jack Lowden won the Actor Film award for his role in Calibre. Armando Iannucci won the Best Director Fiction category for The Death of Stalin and Shauna MacDonald won Best Actress Film for her starring role as Elle in White Chamber.